The Latin reading blog

Monday, 5 February 2018

Pliny
(61-113) spent his final years as imperial governor of Bithynia and Pontus, a
Roman province located in Anatolia on the Black Sea. Pliny was, as we know, a
prolific writer of letters and, more important, being convinced of his
qualities as an author, he published these letters. Book x of his collection of
letters consists of the correspondence between him and Trajan and it gives a
unique insight into the daily problems of running a province. With his
collection of letters Pliny has done historians a great favour and readers
Latin in general.

In
letter 10.33 he describes a fire at Nicomedia and the inertia of the population
to do anything to curb that fire. Fires were not uncommon in cities and as wood
was often used as building material, a fire could easily spread. Pliny noticed
that the population did nothing to curb the fire and he blames this on the fact
that no equipment was available. However, there were often social tensions
between the rich and the poor and the latter were unlikely to help when a rich
part of the city was on fire. Pliny asked Trajan if he approves the institution
of a fire-brigade, made up of volunteers. Trajan thinks this not a good idea,
as such a brigade could well be a cover-up for illegal actions against the
Romans. Better a city on fire than riots!

Gerusian: a building
where the gerusia –a body of elders –
had is meetings

Iseon: temple of Isis

absumo absumsi
absumptum:
to destroy

(incendium) est

spargo sparsi
sparsum:
to spread

violentia,
inertia:
ablatives

quos satis
constat:
of who it is sufficient to say that

otiosus: idle, doing nothing

presto perstiti: to stand firm,
remain on one’s place

alioqui: besides

sipo (sipho) siponis (m.): a kind of fire engine

hama: fire bucket

compesco
compescui:
to repress, curb

praecipio
praecepi praeceptum:
to instruct

paro: to provide

dispicio dispexi
dispectum:
to consider

collegium
fabrorum:
a guild of craftsmen (= firemen. In Italy and the Western provinces there were
associations of craftsmen, which were also used as fire-brigades. Such collegia were unknown in the Greek
provinces.)

dumtaxat: at least

nisi faber: collegia could also be a cover-up for a
secret society with anti-Roman purposes

neve iure
concesso in aliud utantur: or that they don’t use the granted right (of being
a collegium) for something else

secundum exempla
complurium
(civitatum): As other cities had such
fire-brigades too

constituo
constitui constitutum:
to establish (constitui: pass inf!)

praecipue: especially

factio factionis (f.): faction,
party

vexo: to harass

contractus: assembled

hetaeria: brotherhood,
fraternity

brevi (tempore)

comparo: to provide

ea (instumenta)

auxilio: dative of
purpose: for aid/ as aid

praedium: real estate

inhibeo inhibui
inhibitum:
to hold back, keep in storage (the instruments for fire-fighting are meant.
Indeed, it would be more effective to have these placed around the city, than
at a central store, which would hamper a quick transport to the place of fire.)

posco poposci (-ere): to demand

accursus –us (m.): onrush

Translated
by J.B.Firth (1900)

[33]
LTo Trajan.

While
I was visiting a distant part of the province a most desolating fire broke out
at Nicomedia and destroyed a number of private houses and two public buildings,
the almshouse and temple of Isis, although a road ran between them. The fire
was allowed to spread farther than it need have done, first, owing to the
violence of the wind, and, secondly, to the laziness of the inhabitants, it
being generally agreed that they stood idly by without moving and merely
watched the catastrophe. Moreover, there is not a single public fire-engine or
bucket in the place, and not one solitary appliance for mastering an outbreak
of fire. However, these will be provided in accordance with the orders I have
already given. But, Sir, I would have you consider whether you think a guild of
firemen, of about 150 men, should be instituted. I will take care that no one
who is not a genuine fireman should be admitted, and that the guild should not
misapply the charter granted to it, and there would be no difficulty in keeping
an eye on so small a body.

[34]
LTrajan to Pliny.

You
have conceived the idea that a guild of firemen might be formed in Nicomedia on
the model of various others already existing. But it is to be remembered that
your province of Bithynia, and especially city states like Nicomedia, are the
prey of factions. Whatever name we may give to those who form an association,
and whatever the reason of the association may be, they will soon degenerate
into secret societies. It is better policy to provide appliances for mastering
conflagrations and encourage property owners to make use of them, and, if
occasion demands, press the crowd which collects into the same service.